According to Jewish belief nothing is to be taken for
granted.We express this attitude daily with the B'rachos(blessings)
during S'hararis(morning prayers),where we thank H'ashem(G-D)for
having returned our soul,for having regained our
strength,our eyesight etc...after our soul departed us
during our sleep.Although these things may seem
natural,they're definitely not!After all,remember that
there are people who can't see,who can't hear or speak,or
that have some kind of disability.No, we must always
remember to be Mekares Tov(Thankful)to H'ashem even for
these things that appear "normal"(what's really
normal?).
Nevertheless from time to time H'ashems's Kindness and
Mercy is so present in a situation,that the occurence is
absolutely worthwhile sharing with the world.
You can do that right here on this page.EMAIL me your story and I'll publish it as quickly as I
can(with the exception for special occasions like a Yom
Tov it should take no longer than a few days)

I encourage you strongly to submit your stories,even if
you hesitate because you're afraid that your story isn't
interesting enough.I suggest you let the readers be the
judge of that.

Note to the
readers:All
the stories submitted will remain the
intellectual property of the writers,and
therefore may not be reproduced under any
form,not even on another web site without the
consent of the copyright holder.

Note
to the writers:when you submit a
story make sure always to mention if your
name and email address should be printed
alongside your story.
I strongly recommend all writers to do
so,to facilitate contact with readers who
might seek further contact.Of course it
is not a requirement.

by
Heidi HassA
bout 8 or 9 months ago, I was truly beginning to
despair. My husband had been waiting for a kidney
transplant for nearly 6 years, and was not doing well
on dialysis. There were a lot of complications that
developed - calcium deposits, joint damage, nerve
damage, irregular heartbeat and so forth, and it
seemed as if he were going further and further
downhill. I really began to fear that I was losing
him.
I began to search for higher spirituality, and joined
a Chabad Center. My rabbi gave me a card for the
"askmoses.com" website. I went on it, and began to ask
a lot of questions. By that time, I realized that I
needed to raise the spirituality of myself and my
family. I 'met' Mrs. Bronya Shaffer online, who
eventually convinced me to go to the mikvah. It was
truly an overwhelming experience. After I went to the
Mikvah, Mrs. Shaffer brought me to the Rebbe's Ohel to
show me how to pray at his grave. I began using the
Mikvah and going to the Ohel on a regular basis, since
I found both to help me feel much calmer and more
connected to G-d. On one of these visits, I felt I had
gotten an answer from the Rebbe that everything would
be alright - that I just had to believe and carry on
as I have been.
I also decided to attend a Torah class for women at a
Chabad Center.My first time there, all the women were
so excited and happy over the fact that a mother of
six that they knew had just gotten a double lung
transplant.I turned to one of them and said "you see
how important it is that we donate organs". She
responed "Oh no - Jews aren't allowed to donate
organs". That answer upset me, to say the least.I did
some research, and found that there are some very well
known Rabbis, well versed in Halacha, who have said
that there is a halachically permissible way to
donate organs.
I wrote an "article" about my findings regarding organ
donation and halacha, and sent a copy to Mrs. Shaffer.
She advised me to send it out wherever I could -
newspapers, mikvahs, kosher butchers, supermarkets and
so forth. I first sent it to all the Jewish newspapers
in the country, and it was published by two of them.
Eventually, I got mailing labels with the addresses of
350 mikvahs in the US and Canada from Mikvah.org.
During the week of Chanukah, I made copies of my
article and began stuffing and folding envelopes.
Sunday night, the last night of Chanukah, was my night
to immerse in the mikvah. As I was drying off, I had
an incredibly powerful sense of pure joy and happiness
- it practically bowled me over.
Tuesday morning, the day after Chanukah, I got the
last of the letters to the mikvahs in the mailbox.
One hour later, we got the call from the hospital that
there was a kidney for my husband. In my mind, this
leaves no question that my task was to inform other
Jews that they may donate organs if they wish to.
It is almost 6 weeks now, and I already see such a
change in my husband, it is wonderful. He has regained
color in his face and a spring in his step. His voice
is strong, and his heartburn and joint pain are gone.
There is still significant nerve damage, but there is
hope that the nerves will regenerate.
It seems to me that even though he has passed on, the
Rebbe is still here performing miracles. If it had not
been for Chabad and Mrs. Shaffer, I would not have
found out about the need to increase organ donation
among Jews and I would not have gone to the Mikvah. It
is through his organization that a miracle happened
for me and my family. Thank you Rebbe! Thank you
Chabad! And most of all, Thank you Mrs. Shaffer!

The very conception of this web site,the idea and
the necessary basic skills for it to come about,rely on a
succession of pretty interesting events and conversations
I had.

Before my transplantation I lived with the idea that all
current problems and difficulties would vanish once a
compatible kidney had been found and transplanted to me.
Great was my disappointment when I left the hospital with
a kidney everyone called"a real gift from Heaven"(one
non-Jewish nurse referred to it as winning the jackpot:),not
feeling relieved(even a bit)about most feelings and
problems I(thought I ) had.
Of course I felt blessed to be able to start anew,I was
unquestionably happy beyond words to be able to get a
glass of water in the kitchen myself.... in the middle of
the night no less.No that the peritoneal machine had
disappeared from my life definitely made a huge
difference in the best possible way.
All this not withstanding I didn't feel as satisfied and
happy as I thought I should be,or as I used to think I
was going to be.
So one day when both my brother's Chavrusa(learning
partner) and mine were late,I dared discuss this problem
with him.
The response I got from him,was almost contrary to what I
expected.
I awaited harsh criticism,reproving me for not being able
to be happy with what I have etc...
But that's not at all what happened,he calmly stated that
he would take the time to think about what I had just
told him,and that he would shortly present his advice on
how to ease or solve the problem that was bothering me.
And indeed he did,a few days later,knowing that I had
some knowledge in web publishing,he suggested that I
create the very web site you're viewing right now.
I immediately followed his advice and although the
problems didn't just fly away,building this web site
gives me great satisfaction,not to mention that it is a
worthwhile manner of spending the overload of free time
that I have for the moment(since I still need to
recuperate I'm spending a lot of time at home).Now if/when
it'll actually help someone,the satisfaction will be even
greater and more justified:))
I would like to thank my brother for he gave me the
benefit of the doubt and took my problem seriously.But
most of all because he gave me the idea and necessary
encouragement to build this web site.
Well real Hashgacha Pratis it isn't but sure enough if
you read this story several times you'll discover the
Hashgacha in it.

by
Raphael MShavouos(a Jewish
holiday)my brother and his expecting wife were in a
different city than myself and my family.The whole
Shavouos we speculated if the baby,my parents first grand-child,had
been born yet,or not.Well Motse(end of the holiday)
Shavouos we knew that the time hadn't come yet,but what
we didn't know was that less than 24hours later I would
have a new kidney.While I was staying at the hospital,we
were all anxious day after day to hear if the baby had
been born.But the answer was always negative.
After my sister-in-law became really nervous,people
jokingly stated that the baby had already acquired a
great sense of respect and was waiting for the grand-mother(my
mother spent almost 12 hours on 24 at the hospital).Some
even suggested that she was waiting for her uncle(me in
other words).Well they may have meant it as a joke,but
the very day I left the hospital my niece
was born.Coincidence??I think not.

Often Hashgacha Pratis
comes under the form of an event that appears terrible at
first but later on proves to "have been for the best"!(experiencing
such an event can greatly aid in developing a higher
degree of Emunah(Total Faith in G-D).

After years under daily Peritoneal dialysis treatment the
transplant department still did not find a suitable
kidney for me and blamed it mostly on the anti-bodies
that had developed after my first transplant.So my doctor
suggested a special treatment that had proven effective
in eliminating the unwanted anti-bodies in the past by
other patients
.It would have been a very stressful and painful
treatment,nonetheless well worth it, for if it would work
it would elevate my chances for a good kidney to be found
considerably.
However after some tests the doctor concluded that this
treatment would have no effect on me,and naturally I was
devastated(and a little relieved as well).
4 months later Bli ayin hara I got a wonderful Kidney,and
I can't tell you how thankful I am to H'Ashem that I did
not have to endure that treatment for it would have been
countless of painful and stressful hours in vain.

It started while I was visiting Israel.
Strong stomach aches made my visit everything but pleasantly memorable.The highlight of the trip after visiting the Kotel and seeing my niece,was supposed to be gastronomical delight.
When dining out however,I forced myself to eat something as not to disappoint my friends who were so kind to take me out,but I couldn't enjoy neither the company nor the appetizing dishes.
My stomach would just not let it.Naive as I am I told myself that it was nothing,and that the problem would "magically vanish" when I got back home.Of course no such thing happened.So eventually by the first consultation I mentioned the problem to the Doctor.
It was decided that I had an ordinary ulcer and that there was nothing to worry about.A simple medicine every day and soon it would be forgotten.However when I was still suffering,and worse by the day,after three weeks,further tests where planned.
I was hospitalized and day after day new tests just could not point out the culprit.
The Doctors suspected that I had caught the CMV virus,which many transplant patients have to deal with,but in fact nothing pointed in that direction.Through tremendous Hashgacha Pratis(another story for later!)they detected the problem and I was subsequently treated for it and Braruch H'Ashem the treatment had the desired effect.
Now the Doctor told me that I had been very "Lucky" because if not for the ulcer which couldn't be healed(because of the more serious problem the medication had no effect on the ulcer),they we compelled to make a lot of tests,and thereby detected the problem.This problem cannot be detected in the blood and does not cause physical discomfort until it's in a later stage when much harder to treat.So ironically that ulcer was a real "gift" from H'Ashem!